Melbourne’s record-breaking new tower to include six-star hotel

Plans to build Australia 108, a 388m high tower that will house a “six-star” hotel, were approved in Melbourne this week.

The Australia 108 tower will be the latest addition to the world’s tallest skyscrapers, after consent for the £4.1 million project was given by Victoria’s minister of planning.

Set on Southbank Boulevard, near the Yarra River that flows through the city, the tower will surpass Queensland’s Q1, which is currently the tallest building in the southern hemisphere, standing at 322m in the Gold Coast.

The skyscraper will house a “six-star luxury hotel”, according to its designers at Fender Katsalidis Architects, the team who also designed Melbourne’s 297m high Eureka Tower.

The 288-room hotel’s Sky Lobby will span two stories on the 83rd level. It will include two restaurants, two bars and lounges with glass floor sections, allowing guests to see through to the ground level. The observation lounge will appear to “hover” over the city, offering guests panoramic views of the skyline.

The new building will also feature a glass-enclosed top floor bar, Star Bar, built in the shape of a cube between two pillars near the pinnacle of the tower.

Australia 108 will also offer residential luxury apartments with a 24-hour concierge service and several recreational facilities including a gym, pool, theatre and library. Residents will also have access to a food market and café in the lower levels.

The apartments will range from one to three-bedrooms, priced between about £280,000 and £510,400, to customised penthouses.

Australia 108 is expected to be built by 2018, the same year that a taller building in South Africa, at 447m, is set to be completed.